California woman expected to survive 'head to toe' bee ordeal

(Reuters) - A California woman who was stung hundreds of times when a swarm of bees covered her “from head to toe” was left in critical condition but is expected to survive, authorities said.

A rescue crew found the woman, who officials said is about 50 years old, outside a home in Lake Forest on Monday morning after answering a call about a bee sting, the Orange County Fire Authority said.

With the woman “literally covered from head to toe” with bees and barely conscious, rescuers did not stop to put on their own protective gear, but used carbon dioxide spray to disperse the insects and rushed her to a hospital, Fire Captain Tony Bommarito told KNBC-TV in Los Angeles.

Two firefighters were stung multiple times and were treated and released at the hospital, the fire authority said on Twitter. Both returned to work, it said.

Local media reported that the woman, who officials did not identify, is a cleaning woman who worked in a nearby house in the community, about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Los Angeles.

A bee expert has been called to remove the large hive from the home, fire officials said.

Reporting by Peter Szekely in New York; Editing by Scott Malone and Frances Kerry